Psalm: 61 Meditation Matthew: This teaching is about counting the cost of discipleship. Jesus seldom paints a rosy picture of growth of the kingdom. Still you give all that you have for the re-buried treasure and the pearl of great price. Everything! These two parables are about individuals who find the treasure or pearl. The …
Tag: Discipleship
Going Deeper: August 16
Read Psalm 1 together. Watch the sermon video (available at pacificunionchurch.org/churchsmall) Listen. What does Psalm 1 tell us about the path to God’s blessing? How does it contrast to the life path of the world around us? What is the image of a blessed person? How can we root ourselves in God in a hostile …
Discipling Friendships
I want to begin with a bold and provocative statement: it is nearly impossible to grow as a Christian by yourself. We need other people to walk with us. I say this because we have a relational God and a relational faith. Have you ever stopped to think about the fact that the God we …
Praying for Someone on the Spot
Dave and I were standing on the sidewalk outside of his parent’s house. He had just shared something that was troubling him and I, without a lot of forethought, offered to pray for him. So we prayed right there. When we opened our eyes, I was a little surprised to see how much Dave was …
Sunday, April 5
Psalm: 24 Meditation 1 Timothy: Confession of faith is an on-going thing. Paul seeks to encourage Timothy yet at the same time, remind him that this Christian faith can often lead to persecution. To bring Timothy to the stark reality of the cost of discipleship, Paul reminds him of Jesus’ chat with Pilot – we …
Rooted
Jesus left us with one command before he ascended into heaven. “Go and make disciples of all nations.” This presents us with a problem: we don’t know what a healthy disciple looks like, let alone how to make one. We also can’t give away what we don’t have ourselves. Before diving into making disciples, we …
Sunday, March 29
Psalm: 88 Meditation Mark: Peter’s rebuke to Jesus, it turns out, is in direct opposition to the Father’s will. Selfishly Peter may have meant well, but that would thwart the divine plan. As for Jesus’ followers, “taking up his cross” (v. 35) simply means that discipleship is not cheap – it may eventually call one …
Family Challenge: Powerful Prayers
Memorize these verses as a family: James 5:16b The prayer of a righteous man [or woman] is powerful and effective. Matthew 6:10 Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Listen. James tells us that when a righteous person prays, their prayers are powerful. Elijah was a righteous person …
Family Challenge: Spreading the Good News
Memorize these verses as a family: 2 Timothy 2:8 Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel. 2 Timothy 2:2 And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men [people] who will also be qualified to teach others. Listen. Gospel …
Family Challenge: What Baptism Means
Memorize these verses as a family: Romans 6:4: We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of God the Father, we too may live a new life. Listen. There are two signs that the church celebrates to remember the …
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